Here’s how to contest your rental property scores if you're a landlord
The city-run BuildingBlocks site lets tenants and investors see how well Rochester properties are kept up. The digital tool, operated in partnership with data platform Tolemi, runs a rating system that assigns rental properties, property managers and owners scores based on code compliance.
Factors that go into calculating scores include active health and safety violations per unit, days since the property’s Certificate of Occupancy expired, and days since the oldest health and safety violation was cited. The lower the score, the more open violations the property has. If you’ve submitted records to the portal proving your ownership or management of a property, BuildingBlocks allows you to see your properties’ scores and open code violations.
But some Rochester landlords say the site, up since August 2023, publishes inaccurate information that isn’t reflective of the state of their properties, or the work they’re putting into fixing newly-bought homes.
If you believe BuildingBlocks is showing outdated or wrong data on your property’s code compliance or manager records, here’s how to fix it:
If you’ve cured the violations and an inspector has confirmed, following a re-inspection, that all required repairs have been made, they should be expunged from your property’s public-facing record.
If they haven’t been, you can inquire by emailing [email protected], citing the re-inspection date and the name of the inspector who confirmed the violations were cured. You can also contact your inspector to verify the status of the violations. Inspector contact information by area is listed on a city-run online map.
If you no longer manage a property and want to stop being linked to it:
If the owner initiated the Building Owner Registry application, you can go into the registry application under “My Records” in the Infor Civics portal, open the record, go into the applicants section and remove yourself.
If you initiated the BOR on the owner’s behalf, the city doesn’t have a way to remove you. The new property owner or manager would have to submit a new building owner registry form, which will overwrite the old one. If you need to be removed immediately, email [email protected] for a staff member to remove you on their end.
More: ‘Good cause eviction’ law reaches Rochester City Council: What you need to know.
If you no longer own a property and want to stop being linked to it:
Once a deed transfer is completed, it can take up to three weeks for the online system to update and reflect the change.
The new property owner should submit a fresh building owner registry form, which will overwrite the old one and list them as the new owner.
If the site is missing a property you manage:
Have the property owner submit a building owner registry form to update the property manager information. They should invite you through email to add you to the registry.
If you recently bought a property or submitted a work schedule:
The system should flag properties bought in the last 90 days, as well as properties for which work schedules have been submitted and approved. Such properties should be granted a grace period, during which they wouldn’t be listed under your identity as a property owner or manager. Email [email protected] if you believe the city hasn’t flagged your property when it should have.
On a discretionary note, the troubleshooting that is sometimes needed if properties or manager/owner records are out-of-date only works if the city responds promptly to email communication and takes action to correct inaccuracies.
— Christina Chkarboul is a summer intern at the Democrat and Chronicle and a student journalist at USC, where she focuses on Earth science, global studies and journalism. Contact her at [email protected] with story tips related to code enforcement, housing and renters.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: How landlords can protest their score on Rochester's BuildingBlocks